Iceland´s Recovery—Lessons and Challenges, Harpa Conference Center (Reykjavík), October 27, 2011

Reykjavík, Iceland, October 27, 2011

Iceland´s Recovery—Lessons and Challenges

Session II: The Road to Recovery

The session will assess the stabilization of the economy and the exchange rate, fiscal consolidation, household and corporate debt restructuring, the rehabilitation of the banking system. Also, the impact on social indicators and Iceland’s social welfare system.

CHAIR

Katrin Ólafsdóttir , (Reykjavík University)

Katrin Ólafsdóttir is Assistant Professor in the School of Business at Reykjavík University

PARTICIPANTS

	Stefán Ólafsson Stefán Ólafsson is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland since 1991 More Stefán Ólafsson was educated in sociology and economics at the Universities of Edinburgh (MA degree) and Oxford (D.Phil.) in the UK. His main fields of academic research are welfare studies and level of living, labour market studies and societal development. Stefán Ólafsson is the author of six books and numerous articles and reports. He directs the Research Center for Social Studies (RCSS) within the Social Science Research Institute, the University of Iceland, which is a partner institutions in the Nordic Center of Excellence in Welfare Research.
	Jón Daníelsson Jón Daníelsson is a Reader in Finance at London School of Economics More Jon Danielsson has a Ph.D. in the economics of financial markets and is a reader in finance at the London School of Economics. His research interests include financial stability, systemic risk, extreme market movements, market liquidity and financial crisis. He has published his research extensively in both academic journals and the mainstream media, and has presented his work in a number of universities and institutions.
	Gylfi Arnbjörnsson Gylfi Arnbjörnsson is the President of the Icelandic Confederation of Labor More Gylfi Arnbjörnsson is the President of the Icelandic Confederation of Labor. He was elected for this position at the 8th ASÍ annual meeting in 2008. Although ASÍ has annual meeting, the confederation’s president is elected for a term of two years at a time. Gylfi Arnbjörnsson has a masters degree in Economics and he has been working for The Icelandic Confederation of Labour more or less since 1989, thereof as the Head of Office at ASI since 2001.
	Paul Krugman Paul Krugman is one of the world’s preeminent economists, having won the 2008 Nobel Prize for Economics More An insightful, outspoken Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, he is a passionate and articulate speaker, with a gift for relating global economic events to his audiences, and committed to speaking the truth as he sees it in the most compelling terms. His twice-weekly Op-Ed pieces for The New York Times model the depth of insight and the unflinchingly outspoken style he brings to his speeches. He is the author of several books, including most recently, The Conscience of a Liberal, and of The Great Unraveling, a bestseller. In response to the current financial crisis, Professor Krugman has released an updated edition of his prescient 1999 book, The Return of Depression Economics, in which he warned—almost ten years ago—of the problems we face today. The new book is titled The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Professor Krugman’s work in economics has earned him broad acclaim from the economic press and several prestigious awards, including the John Bates Clark medal from the American Economic Association for his work in international trade and finance. He is recognized worldwide as a leader in the fields of economic geography and the role of increasing returns in shaping international trade. Paul Krugman is professor of economics at Princeton University. He was chosen as one of Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential People in Global Finance, 2011.

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon is Iceland's Minister of Finance.